The Cursed Sun
What Kalam called a hill was really more of a stony butte that would be impossible to climb if only given a superficial examination. But according to Kalam there were naturally-formed impressions that could be used for clambering up the steep surface. On the left side of the hill, we found such a way. In a few moments we started to climb high above the ground just as the light of dawn began breaking over the horizon. The fires ringing the Mujadeen fort were beginning to die down. I could see the Mutans were beginning to wake.
We reached the top of the hill and could now look into the Mujadeen camp below. A line of a dozen soldiers armed with bow and swords were stationed at the walls, their attention solely turned to the Mutans. There was a paddock that contained a few horses, a low mud building that I took to be the barracks, and a single tent that had to belong to Rasid. But the most noticeable thing was the massive hole centered right in the middle of the camp. There was the site of their excavation. Nestled inside was a large concrete structure with a sunken and round metallic covering that was at least thirty feet in diameter. This was the site of the missile silo where the weapon of the Ancients resided. After coming so far, I felt strangely elated. After all the trouble I had experienced, the end was finally in sight.
As Suvan watched below, I glanced behind us. The Mutans were now all awake, quickly lining up into stacked formations facing the camp walls. A shout went up near Tahn’s tent and the rest of the Mutans joined in a frightful chorus. A moment later and the arrows were flying fast and thick into the encircled camp. The Mujadeen soldiers could do nothing but hide behind the walls as the hail of arrows fell inside. Several horses were hit, sending them running in circles with wild-eyed panic.
“This is our chance,” I told Suvan. “The guards inside will be too busy to pay attention to us.”
She nodded, her jaw set in determination. Taking the rope from my shoulder, she tied one end to an outcropping and then let the other side drop to the ground below. In a moment, she was climbing down, using her feet to brace herself against the side of the rock. She moved quickly. A few arrows flew by, but nothing was close enough to cause her concern. After she had made it to the ground, I quickly followed suit. The rope felt rough against my hands, burning my palms and fingers as I rappelled down. After a few moments of frantic motion, my feet planted down on the desert floor. I darted over to Suvan who was hiding behind a dirt piling; a leftover of the silo excavation.
From our hiding spot, I watched. The scene inside the camp was pure chaos. As the arrows flew, several Mujadeen soldiers were running back and forth with no order or discipline. From the front, I heard a new sound of metal striking metal. I heard the cry “To the Gates! To the Gates!” repeated several times, but the response was lackluster.
Suvan clutched my hand, her breathing hard and fast.
“Perhaps you should have stayed with Vinc,” I said.
She shot me a baleful stare. “I would rather die here with you.”
I leaned over and kissed her on the mouth. I then whispered, “Don't worry, we'll get out of here somehow. We made it through that terrible city together, what's another chance at certain death?”
With a laugh, she kissed me back. “Then let's go!” she said brightly.
We took off running towards the pit of the excavation. We went past soldiers who were too busy to pay us any attention. They were too engrossed with dodging the hail of arrows and dealing with the pounding on the front gate to bother with us. With a jump we were inside the excavation, clambering towards the metal door embedded in the side of the concrete embankment.
Suvan was the first to reach it, but when she turned the handle, the door did not budge. I soon added my strength but it was to no avail. It was locked tight.
“Is there another way in?” Suvan asked, casting a worried glance over her shoulder.
I shook my head. “I don't think so, but I'll go check. Don't worry, I'll be right back.” I then made a hasty reconnaissance around the concrete structure but did not find any other egress. When I returned to Suvan, she saw from my expression that there was no other way in.
“If we cannot get in, then what can we do?” she asked, her voice rising in panic,
“Rasid must have locked himself in there,” I said, trying to control my own fear. “It's the safest place to be right now.”
“I wouldn't mind being in there myself,” Suvan said with a shudder as another barrage of arrows went flying over, a few striking the ground near us.
My past feeling of elation had passed. We were going to die, trapped here as the Mutans broke through the wall. Our only escape was to try gain the height of the hill again, but we no longer had the cover of darkness. The Mutans would easily see our progress up the hill and we would be trapped on all sides.
The ground underneath my feet began to tremble. There was a shriek of metal sliding against metal that rattled through the air. The sound was coming from above our heads. I quickly ran up the side of the pit to look down on the top of the concrete structure. I immediately saw that the silo was opening, exposing a wide black hole within.
“Suvan!” I cried out as I ran back to her. “The top of the silo is opening! Let me push you up.”
Grabbing her by the waist, I hoisted her up to the top of the concrete. When she had gained her footing, she turned around, took my hand and leaned back, allowing me to gain a foothold. I was soon by her, staring down into the dark recesses below. A dark gleam of metal pointed upwards at us. It was the missile - a cone of shiny metal that disappeared into the darkness.
I noticed a metal ladder mounted on the side of the wall. Pointing to it, I said to Suvan, “There is our way.”
Chapter 32